Your mom is about to undergo heart surgery. Her cardiology team mentioned home care after hospitalization services to your family. What is it? Is this level of at-home care truly necessary?
Your Mom Hates Taking Medications
Your mom lives alone, and she’s not likely to listen to her surgeon’s recommendations. You know her well enough to know she will hold off taking pain medications until she is in agony. Even then, you’re not convinced she’ll take them.
You expect your mom will rely on heat packs or ice packs to try to manage the pain. She’s not going to take pain medications if she’s alone. With a nurse there to remind her to take medications, she’s not going to refuse. Medication administration is one of the helpful home care after hospitalization services.
She Has Incisions and a Need for Bandage Changes
Your mom’s chest incisions are covered in dressings that you’re not comfortable changing. Post-surgery, the healing incision’s seepage may have caused the dressings to stick to the incision. While this is common, it’s also alarming if you’re the one having to remove the old dressings to put new ones in place.
A nurse is trained in incision care and can remove the old dressing using saline or water and carefully remove the older dressing. Once the incision is cleaned and examined for signs of infection, excessive bleeding, or signs of pulled stitches or staples, the nurse will apply new dressings per the surgeon’s recommendations.
She Needs Physical Therapy Services
To prevent blood clots, your mom’s surgeon wants her to be up and active without overexerting herself. It’s recommended that she starts working with a physical therapist ASAP. Home care after hospitalization plans can include home visits from a physical therapist to start building your mom’s strength in an approved manner.
The Ultimate Goal of Home Care After Hospitalization Is To Prevent Rehospitalization
The goal of home care after hospitalization is to keep your mom from returning to the hospital. She won’t take too much or too little medication and create issues with dependency on pain medications or be in so much pain that it impacts her recovery.
Your mom will have nurses who can check her incisions and look for signs of infection. Nurses have the training to provide proper wound care. If there are issues, they know what to do. Some nurses can talk to the surgeons to determine if she needs to be seen or if the nurse should prescribe antibiotics and start her on those.
After heart surgery, it’s a good idea to have nurses with your mom for a few days. The nurse has the training and expertise to monitor your mom’s recovery and consult with cardiologists if something isn’t right. You don’t have the same training.
The other benefit to home care after hospitalization is that your mom’s medications are well managed. She will be getting the appropriate amount of pain medications to prevent discomfort without risking dependency. Talk to our home care after hospitalization specialist to learn more about the availability of nurses and the cost of services.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care After Hospitalization in Winston-Salem NC please contact the caring staff at Superior Staffing Solutions, LLC today. Call 855-391-9270.
Superior Staffing Solutions, LLC is a Trusted Medical and Non-Medical Home Care Agency in Winston-Salem, Lewisville, Clemmons, Kernersville, Tobaccoville, Highpoint, Lexington, Mooresville, Troutman, Statesville, Bermuda Run, Advance, Wallburg, Midway North Carolina and surrounding areas.
We are led by a registered nurse and we are passionate about providing in-home health care to Winston-Salem, NC and the surrounding areas. When you choose our services, you can rest assured knowing that your loved ones are in great hands. Our certified staff members are trained to provide exceptional care in a nurturing home environment.
We strive to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations or trips to the ER. We encourage patients to follow-up with their PCP for continuous care. 24 hour hotline service to cater calls from patients, families and referral sources including weekends and holidays. Superior Staffing Solutions’ Medical advisor is available for consult.
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